Mason City Schools Superintendent Gail Kist-Kline leaving district

Mason City Schools Superintendent Gail Kist-Kline is leaving the district at the end of this school year, retiring after 30 years in public education.

"I know myself well, and I believe that everything has a season," Kist-Kline said in a news release announcing the decision. Starting in July, she will take over as president of The Christ College of Nursing & Health Science.

"I have been privileged to work alongside some outstanding people," she said, "and I believe that now it is my responsibility to recognize and nurture top talent so that these dynamic people can achieve their dreams while ensuring that Mason continues 'Growing Greatness Together!'"

This is Kist-Kline's seventh year at Mason, where she was the first female superintendent. Prior to that, she held various roles at Miami University, Lakota Local Schools, St. Joseph Consolidated School and Princeton and Wyoming city schools.

"She is one of the most fearless leaders with integrity that I have ever had the pleasure of serving with," said district spokeswoman Tracey Carson. "She is someone who champions female leadership. She is someone who constantly promotes public schools."

At Mason, Kist-Kline was a major player in launching the Greater Cincinnati School Advocacy Network, a group of more than 40 local school districts pushing back against state control in education. One of her biggest legacies, Carson said, was moving districts away from competing against each other in favor of collaborating together.

"When I think about when she came, it was was tough," Carson said. "We'd just lost a levy. The economy was difficult. She came in and had to do a lot of hard things, right from the beginning of her tenure. ... And yet, she had this vision of how we could change the structure and reprioritize."

There is no timeline yet for filling Kist-Kline's seat, though the school board is expected to meet soon to lay out the process, with a likely goal of naming a successor early in 2018.